Cittaja || Indian Historical Romance

38.

She should have been pleased at finally getting her revenge at him.

Shakra invaded her home and destroyed her father. He humiliated him in the battlefield. His own courtiers looked down on him. Shakra deserved the same humiliation he put her father through. Shakra by himself wouldn't ever do anything that would ruin his image. A silent and secretive humiliation that is remembered everyday is as worse as a public humiliation.

Yet, she was here, sitting alone as if the whole thing left her with a scar.

'I have actually become the one person I hated to be. I have actually become like Maharani Raashi.' she thought to herself.

"Rajkumari, it is getting late. We should get back to the room." Diya suggested.

Did you ever, even for a moment, truly wish to be with me, Mayurakshi? Has everything been a farce? Those times when you responded back to me? The boat rides, the good wishes, the friendship, or the care? Has any of that been true?

Mayurakshi had lied to him many times. She can do it many times again. Yet, she couldn't confess that she had really wanted to be in his arms that night. She kissed him on her own accord. Though she had planned several times to kill him, she couldn't get through them. That night in the camp, she tried and almost broke down right after they had left. She hated every single moment of that.

The rage of her father's humiliation brought such cruelty in her that she actually took away Shakra's smile. For the first time, he didn't have the same loving smile towards her. His love truly protected her from his destructive, violent, reactions.

"Rajkumari..."

"Diya, I just want to be alone. You all go back. I'll be fine here. I'll get back later."

"Rajkumari, you've been unusually quiet. I worry about you."

She sighed loudly, "I know. I'm fine. Don't worry. I'll be back later. I'm not going to be harmed by him. He loves me far too much to even scream at me." She chuckled dryly.

The maids left her alone. Mayurakshi pushed her head back against the tree.

The look in Shakra's eyes when he questioned every moment they spent together, she knew she had hurt him far more than any battle injury. His pain didn't allow any space for her to feel happy about her revenge.

"Yuvraj, the Emperor sent his official letter to Krishneri's court." Gokula entered Shakra's room. Shakra was looking outside the window.

"Good." Shakra replied, uninterested. Gokula sighed. A moment later, Raashi entered. Several maids with baskets and trays entered the room behind her.

"I am extremely happy that you've accept the proposal of my daughter's marriage, Yuvraj. I am sure that Yuvika will make a glorious Queen. A Queen who matches you."

"I sometimes think that my mother and you overestimate her." Shakra commented rudely. He didn't want to extend any niceties to them anymore. The only one for whom Shakra would mask his rudeness has pushed all his buttons successfully. He didn't see a reason to be nice anymore.

"You underestimate her. She was taught by the same Guru as you were. I am sure she learnt the same things as you."

"Why are you here?"

Raashi showed all the gifts. "We came here to offer gifts at having received and confirmed the marriage proposal for you and Yuvika."

Shakra walked over to them checked all of them. Jewelry, clothes, sweets, fruits, and dry fruits. Nothing interesting at all. He made a face at that.

"Yuvraj, I feel that this rudeness might not sit well with the Emperor if he hears of it." Karma whispered to Shakra.

"I don't care. Let him be annoyed at me. I can't be bothered with anyone right now."

Raashi chuckled, she didn't take offense. It just looked like a bruised ego to her. Soon enough Yuvika will manage to enchant him and Mayurakshi won't even be a thought. "Yuvraj, if this isn't interesting you, tell me what you want. I will try to give it to you."

Shakra laughed at the offer, "I want the younger princess of Krishneri." Then rolled his eyes at her pretence of 'I will give you whatever you wish for'.

"Yuvraj, you are marrying my eldest daughter." Gokula found his comment offensive.

"I didn't ask to be married to her. If my comment offends you then go tell that to Mayurakshi. She had known my feelings for her for the past 8 years. If that comments offends you then I suggest you go and confront her as to why she put me through this when I had exactly proposed to marry her 3 months ago in Veenapuram in my castle."

"Mayurakshi didn't receive any proposals, Yuvraj. She would have told me if she had..." Gokula couldn't digest it. Mayurakshi usually told her about people showing interest in marrying her.

Shakra chuckled at him, "I don't even know why I am expecting that she will tell you anything at all. That girl shuts down everyone. Even when all she wants is your love and affection, she shuts down her true feeling to you as well. Clearly it doesn't please you that I proposed to marry her so she never told you."

"Or maybe she didn't take it seriously at all and assumed that you simply were jesting with her." Gokula offered, refusing to accept the explanation given by Shakra.

"She knew I was being honest and serious. She knew I wasn't cracking jokes with her. She just didn't accept it." Shakra sat down on a chair and sighed loudly. "It would be fine if she said no. I expected her to say no. I just didn't expect her to devastate me with forcing me to marry her sister."

"Yuvraj, I feel that you should stop." Karma suggested. She didn't see a way he would get over Mayurakshi if he kept talking about her, "You are anyway marrying Yuvika. I feel like you two can make a good start."

"Did I ask you about it?" Shakra asked Karma. Karma knew he was in pain and hence spoke rudely.

"I'm just trying to help you. I understand that you are hurt but being rude to everyone isn't going to change this at all. Especially saying 'I want the younger princess of Krishneri' is not going to change it. This will only put our Empire in a light that we do not respect women. She isn't a random woman that you can demand as a present or dowry as a concubine. At least have a little thought about her reputation. You're a man. People will say that boys are just like that but it will put her reputation in a questionable state that the Crown Prince of Kalika Empire didn't even hesitate to say that he wanted the Princess as a concubine."

"I never said that word, Karma. You're rephrasing it like that. I have always wanted her as my Queen. Ask anyone. Manas, Abhijit, Ameya, Abhinav, Kamaljit, Aparajita, Medhajita, Basava, Amartya, anyone. They'll all answer the same thing. I have always seen her as my Queen. I have never loved a woman other than Mayurakshi, I never will."

Shakra got angry at Karma telling him to mind his words. Especially putting the words concubine and Mayurakshi in the same sentence.

"That is the meaning people get, Yuvraj."

"I'm so done with all of you right now." Shakra got up and walked out of the room, topping the whole table upside down.

Manas didn't know what to do or say. If Amartya or Basava had been there, they would have atleast known some way to tackle the situation. Manas didn't know how to react to that. He knew that Shakra loved Mayurakshi a little too much. In some corner, Manas knew that Shakra wouldn't love anyone like that except her. No one has the kind of hold she does. Even after crushing every single dream he was building about their future, Shakra couldn't even raise her voice at her. That Shakrajit who was known for his violent tendencies. That Shakrajit who doesn't think much once someone clashes against his path. That Shakrajit didn't even raise his voice at her.